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                                                                  Exhibit 31(1)

                                  **CERTIFICATION**

I, John K. Keach, Jr., certify that:

     1.  I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of Home Federal
         Bancorp;

     2.  Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue
         statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary
         to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which
         such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period
         covered by this report;

     3.  Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
         information included in this report, fairly present in all material
         respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows
         of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

     4.  The registrant's other certifying officer and I are responsible for
         establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as
         defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal
         control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules
         13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

         (a)    Designed such disclosure controls and
                procedures, or caused such disclosure
                controls and procedures to be designed under
                our supervision, to ensure that material
                information
                relating to the registrant, including its consolidated
                subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those
                entities, particularly during the period in which this report is
                being prepared;

         (b)    Designed such internal controls over financial reporting, or
                caused such internal control over financial reporting to be
                designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance
                regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the
                preparation of financial statements for external purposes in
                accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

         (c)    Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure
                controls and procedures and presented in this report our
                conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls
                and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this
                report based on such evaluation; and

         (d)    Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's internal
                control over financial reporting
                that occurred during the registrant's most recent fiscal quarter
                (the registrant's fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual
                report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to
                materially affect, the registrant's internal control over
                financial reporting; and

     5.  The registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based
         on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial
         reporting, to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of the
         registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent
         functions):

         (a)    All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the
                design or operation of internal control over financial reporting
                which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's
                ability to record, process, summarize and report financial
                information; and

         (b)    Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or
                other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's
                internal control over financial reporting.

Date: February 28, 2005                         /s/  John K. Keach, Jr.
                                                -----------------------
                                                John K. Keach, Jr., President
                                                and Chief Executive Officer
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